I am thinking of using my Substack in the following way and just sanity checking if it makes sense?? So I would like to use my SS to give a home to the newsletters I will be sending out. I plan to continue to use my email provider to send a weekly newsletter and then copy and paste it onto Substack a) to give it a home and a longer life b) to have a space for community and discussion around what I've shared. The pitfall I can imagine is if someone signs up to my email list and my Substack they will receive it twice but other than that I can't envisage any other problems. Am I missing something?
Sections are your friend! If you want to chat more you can join the diamond membership for personalised strategy or come to Mondays call? Let me dig out my post on sections for you it might slot everything into place. ✨✨
Love this and thank you for hosting! My question is this: I am currently creating an online course and would love to have the community space hosted here on Substack...it would be membership only community but tied into my audience here (similar to Slack, Discourse, Mighty Networks). Do you think this is a good platform for that?
Substack is tough for that bc they have a closed api and no integrations. You probably want your community space to be integrated with your course platform. However, I know some people do it.
Yes so I was going to say the same... unless elements of your course lived here and people understood that it would be hard... Substack are always trying to help us build our subs behind the scenes so that might confuse things too? ✨
Congrats Claire and thanks to both of you for always being so quick to help others on this platform.
I opened a second section of my newsletter recently, sending out a post midweek in addition to my Sunday newsletter. Even though I provide details each time on how to toggle one of the newsletters off for those who only want to get one of newsletters, I’ve seen my open rate go down.
I can learn from the experience and pull back on my posting schedule but any suggestions on how to improve the open rate? I’m actually getting more views than before from people sharing posts, etc, but I’d like my actual subscribers to open my newsletter. 😏
When you have multiple emails a week, what becomes important is to look at total opens a week and see if that rate is going up. You can do that by going to your subscriber dash and filtering by emails opens in the last seven days is greater than 0.
If you do it every week on the same day it can give you a good measure of your overall impact. You will also want to run a similar metric for post views to see who read on the app.
If you have more people reading overall, you are doing better than when you had one nl a week, even if it doesn’t feel like it.
The more often you send the lower your open rate for each send but the more total opens you should have overall.
This is great! My question would be around free vs paid as while Substack is incredibly supportive of writers, it feels as though unless you have a profile prior to joining substack, it’s difficult to be found, featured and therefore demand paid subscriptions. Would love to know your thoughts ✨
Unfortunately, membership is the hardest business model and on some level it's a volume business. I don't think you need to be well known when you start, but you will have to be well-known to succeed because paid members are a fractional share of your overall subscribers. That is why a lot of people choose Patreon or Ream over Substack b/c they can monetize better, or even Kickstarter, where they can have a discrete sales event instead of a recurring membership.
Ashley - Yes brilliant spend time in research because what’s true elsewhere isn’t true here.
Keep your blinkers on and don’t take in too much other “newsletter noise” until you’ve carved out your space... there IS space for us all.
There’s also a Substack game to play if you want to grow... two of my top tips - use Recomendations whole heartedly and show up in Substack’s open office hours!
Set yourself a quiet goal re subs / open rates/ views and observe the steps it takes to get there.
Paid conversions are between 2-10% usually so you have to weigh up what you’re offering while you grow your subscriber base so that it fits for you.
Absolutely! I feel like I’ve found my space and I feel good about my voice on this platform... but love the idea of quiet goal setting ✨
For me, it’s less about the paid percentage, but more about the subscriber growth in general. I want to talk to more people so that’s my current focus.
Perfect! Totally possible and actually brilliant to keep it more simple as “paid” can be complex to fathom out and it’s working it all in together to keep the value isn’t it. ✨🙏
Honestly Clare, I think you’re so inspiring! It’s been great to watch this space grow as you’ve generously shared your knowledge. Thank you and congrats! 😊
This is a similar question to some, but my ‘concern’ is having two slightly different but complementary objectives on my Substack. Sharing my work and journey as an artist alongside my love of facilitating creative workshops and sharing my creative exercises here as well. Is it OK to share in one place? Confusing maybe? Do too many objective mean they become watered down and lack impact?
You are likely going to be selling your workshops to the people you who have come along on your artist journey, so it's appropriate to share both in one substack. One of them is a continuous membership also, and the other is a discrete sales event, and continuity is a big part of any successful business. Sales events and memberships have to live together because you need both.
You are SO sweet!! Thanks Georgie! Loved discovering your insta this week!
Picking this q up for the pod but also please go read Laura Oldfield’s latest piece which was born after the conversations we’ve had for YEARS about this same topic! ✨🙏
I think if I had to ask a question it would be about paid v free. I really struggle with putting things behind the paywall, with knowing what juicy thing to offer that's enticing enough for people to pay. I know, it's really different for everyone and different things work! I am experimenting with it these days but I'm getting loads of new free subscribers but I keep delaying doing anything to increase paid subscriptions 😂
I don’t think you even have to put additional things behind a paywall. I have it set up where after a certain time everything goes behind a paywall; and I have additional books and resources that I built out over months through sections to give even more value. I provide three emails a week and all of them are free for three weeks and then go behind the paywall.
I also have 16 novels and 3 nonfiction books behind the paywall but I don’t feel the need to update it monthly.
Let’s be fair here. We’re usually talking about $5/mo. How much do you really have to do to provide $5 in value? Honestly...not much.
I also provide a course bundle worth $50 to all members even if they just have a trial membership. So, all of that allows me to say my subscription is way worth $50/yr bc you get that much value the minute you sign up.
What i think is super helpful to do is to list everything you've put there over 3 months and reflect on how it's all felt... I aim for one article a month on creatively conscious and a gift... sometimes that's a video, sometimes a preview podcast... people don't have time for lot's of content and I'm always questioning - what's in it for them? Does that make sense? Cx
I so agree and I think thats where I really struggle with it, what's in it for them. I think it's so much easier for certain Substacks that are say offering a recipe behind a paywall, or writing classes, or whatever, but something much more tangible and specific. I keep hoping to find what that would be for me/for what I'd like to offer that's clearer.
You will... I love Farrah's analogy of Substack being like a stage and the paywall area being like back stage... if you do some visual journalling on your version of this I bet it emerges?
You can edit this! When you go to send your post, beforehand click on settings on the bottom. You’ll see a lil preview window (among other things) with your post title & image. Click on the image and you can edit what image to use & move it to be better centered.
Do you have tips for making my specifically sales-y emails less gross-feeling for my readers? I have emails scheduled for Black Friday sales, and I don’t want them to feel excessively different from my regular posts, even though they’re directly pointed at a sale that’s happening that week. Thanks!
Frankly, though, I don't do sales posts. I send sales emails from my dashboard, but they do not show up in my feed, and they are for discrete events. Most of my sales happen off substack on my other newsletters.
I've sent a couple from the dashboard but feel very new to utilising that space... I am used to sending them from mailchimp powered by my course platform so tend to stick with that although I'm always up for an experiment and yesterday's Substack post drove 27 sign ups to a free workshop so lot's of ways to work within the platform and your bigger eco system...
Hi Claire, my idiot question is how to get the font to black? I seem to be stuck on white and try as I might, I cannot work out how to change it! Thanks in advance...
I'm relatively new so my reach isn't very far. I have a workshop this Saturday and I'd like to get the word out. When (if ever) is it OK to tag other Substackers with bigger followings so that my notes get seen by more people? I haven't been doing that because I don't want to bother them. However, I think that my notes are just vanishing in the wind without someone else's (bigger) reach.
If this is part of the growing process, that's fine with me and I can be patient. But if it's more skillful to be tagging people so that I can reach more people, I'll do that. I'm just wondering about the etiquette.
I think the answer to that is never, unless they are a part of the presentation or if you are specifically referencing them in your talk. That is why I started a roundup early in my Substack so that I could promote other people and have a reason to tag them while still making a connection with them and doing their work. I really hate when people tag me on things that have nothing to do with me, but maybe I am in the minority.
Thank you, Russell. That was my instinct but I wanted to make sure.
Plus, I think I had some confusion about whether tagging was like sending a message to someone or if it was like posting in their feed. Either way, I won't do it. :)
Julia, I guess it’s about feeling your way with gentle conversation without expectation. Notes that gain traction gather momentum in conversation. I’ve seen lots of folks with “big” followings not have much response to their notes... it’s really like going into a party and your conversation being so good that it then becomes a small circle, then a bigger one, then a whole dance... does that make sense?
What you could do is tag people who you consider to be colleagues in conversation about your work... linking to your post. ✨🙏
Thank you, Claire. I completely agree... AND your metaphor is why I feel so awkward. When I go to a party, I'm really clumsy about talking with new people. I'm an introvert so when I go to a party where I don't know anyone, my happy place is standing quietly by the chips and dip!!
Like you suggested, I'll work on my conversation skills. Also, I plan to reach out to people who might be colleagues. (Sometimes I wish there was a private DM function because it's easiest to reach out privately.) I'll be strong (haha) and just keep reaching out until I find my peeps.
This is another reason I like the roundup format. The best way to break the ice at a part of to find somebody you know AB’s to introduce them to somebody they might know. Everyone wins.
You could also network in the linked in group I set up? I’m the same at parties - I often go into the garden because you soon find someone else who wants to do that too. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12855311
Such a great idea! My question is do you think its better to launch your Substack (i.e. put it public) once there are a good few posts live or is it ok/best to start it with just one or 2 and grow out loud?
I think that you should have 5-10 good posts. Statistically, 90% of substacks don’t ever get to 10 posts, so if you have 10, then you are ahead of 90% of substacks
So there’s this beautiful quiet time right at the beginning where we can set out our stall, understand how we want to be here and watch what happens... I really loved doing it that way... so I didn’t have expectation on what might happen and then when things started happening I made a plan. It’s one option! If the first few posts link in any way then you have a collection to “launch” with... and you can tell your people? If you just post here and you don’t have any/ many subs it will only appear on your Substack website and in the app and not be emailed out. If you’re keen for eyes on it straight away I’d have a different answer... ✨☕️✨
Thank-you for such a thoughtful response. I think I want to enjoy 'this beautiful quiet time' and its in-line with the season I'm in with life. I'm actually going to populate my SS with some of old newsletter content with slight updates and revamps. I'm even enjoying reading and updating the old stuff myself. It will feel good to launch with my stall set out. I've been a paid member here for all of 30 mins and already know it was a great decision. Thank-you Claire. x
Aww that’s so beautiful of you to say. Yes let’s stay connected and we can see what you need as you feel ready. There’s so much potential for joyful growth! ✨❄️
This might be too niche, but can you share some advice on rising subscribers, open rates, and ‘likes’?
For example, my subscribers go up, my open rate goes down. But on top of this my likes have gone down? Wtf is happening? I don’t see any difference in my content personally hah.
One of the shifts I've made recently is to look at post stats. I had one with over 2k views and the open rate was like 37% - when I see them all in a line it helps me to know what type of work is landing and pushing my work out further here as I think for lots of folks off the app it's often ' just another email' they might get round to - does that help? Do you know where to look for those stats? Cx
One thing I will also say is that I'm pretty sure "open rate" is for subscribers only, so you might have something with a lot of views and a lower open rate because fewer subscribers are opening. I'm also not sure if open rate is only for emails or for posts as well. I will say that when I figured that out it solved a big question of why things with similar opens had drastically different open rates.
So, I went and looked at your publication. I think it's still getting good engagement for where it is. One thing climate based publications get is that people burnout pretty quickly. I love me a good climate newsletter, but it's possible people are just burned out on being bummed out all the time, and that is what's causing them to disengage. I'm not saying you should change your publication, but I know it's a common problem for this time of publication.
This will almost always happen when you scale. The hardest thing is keeping open rates high while growing your newsletter. Most readers also don’t want to engage or like posts. They just want to read and then go away until the next thing. The people who come first are the most diehard usually, but future subscribers are usually act more like the rest of the market.
Hi Claire, I have a technical question and I don't know where to post it. IF this isn't the right place, can you point me in the right direction? Here is my question:
"I have not turned on paid subscribers so all my subscribers are free. I'm offering a workshop for subscribers only. How do I make sure the Zoom link is ONLY available to subscribers? I sent an email to subscribers but is there a way to have a more permanent link posted?"
My apologies but I'm just figuring out my way around here. Substack doesn't seem to have robust tech support so I don't know where to go with this. Thank you very much.
I think you’ve got it Julia! Technically Substack is a website so others could see the link but I don’t think there’s much risk there? The other thing you could do is NOT post the link only email it?
Congrats!
*tips hat* why thank you!! ✨🙏
This is such a great idea, love it!! And celebrating you and your sparkly milestone beautiful Claire xxx
Thank you Claudia and for all your support!! ✨✨🙉✨✨
I am thinking of using my Substack in the following way and just sanity checking if it makes sense?? So I would like to use my SS to give a home to the newsletters I will be sending out. I plan to continue to use my email provider to send a weekly newsletter and then copy and paste it onto Substack a) to give it a home and a longer life b) to have a space for community and discussion around what I've shared. The pitfall I can imagine is if someone signs up to my email list and my Substack they will receive it twice but other than that I can't envisage any other problems. Am I missing something?
Any reason you wouldn’t move your entire list in here and send it from here?
Good question!😂The main reason being I want to have the flexibility to send sales emails.
Sections are your friend! If you want to chat more you can join the diamond membership for personalised strategy or come to Mondays call? Let me dig out my post on sections for you it might slot everything into place. ✨✨
Amazing, thank-you!
https://sparkleon.substack.com/p/tidying-up-our-homepage-navigation
Also some of my audience are corporates and SS doesn't feel like its the place for me to talk to them. ALLLL very anecdotal I know!
I hear you on this… it’s a blend of personal and professional here. I still send sales emails off platform and I imported my list here. ✨
oh really, that's interesting!!! where do i find info on the diamond membership?
https://sparkleon.substack.com/p/diamond-member-benefits ✨
Love this and thank you for hosting! My question is this: I am currently creating an online course and would love to have the community space hosted here on Substack...it would be membership only community but tied into my audience here (similar to Slack, Discourse, Mighty Networks). Do you think this is a good platform for that?
Substack is tough for that bc they have a closed api and no integrations. You probably want your community space to be integrated with your course platform. However, I know some people do it.
Thanks so much for your reply Russell!
Yes so I was going to say the same... unless elements of your course lived here and people understood that it would be hard... Substack are always trying to help us build our subs behind the scenes so that might confuse things too? ✨
Thanks so much for your response too Claire! ♥️
Congrats Claire and thanks to both of you for always being so quick to help others on this platform.
I opened a second section of my newsletter recently, sending out a post midweek in addition to my Sunday newsletter. Even though I provide details each time on how to toggle one of the newsletters off for those who only want to get one of newsletters, I’ve seen my open rate go down.
I can learn from the experience and pull back on my posting schedule but any suggestions on how to improve the open rate? I’m actually getting more views than before from people sharing posts, etc, but I’d like my actual subscribers to open my newsletter. 😏
When you have multiple emails a week, what becomes important is to look at total opens a week and see if that rate is going up. You can do that by going to your subscriber dash and filtering by emails opens in the last seven days is greater than 0.
If you do it every week on the same day it can give you a good measure of your overall impact. You will also want to run a similar metric for post views to see who read on the app.
If you have more people reading overall, you are doing better than when you had one nl a week, even if it doesn’t feel like it.
The more often you send the lower your open rate for each send but the more total opens you should have overall.
This is super helpful, Russell. I wouldn't have thought to look at the breakdown that way. Thanks!
Perfect!!
This is great! My question would be around free vs paid as while Substack is incredibly supportive of writers, it feels as though unless you have a profile prior to joining substack, it’s difficult to be found, featured and therefore demand paid subscriptions. Would love to know your thoughts ✨
I wrote this 50,000 word guide about Substack and one of the sections is about how to go paid and another is about getting noticed.
https://authorstack.substack.com/p/substackgrowth
Unfortunately, membership is the hardest business model and on some level it's a volume business. I don't think you need to be well known when you start, but you will have to be well-known to succeed because paid members are a fractional share of your overall subscribers. That is why a lot of people choose Patreon or Ream over Substack b/c they can monetize better, or even Kickstarter, where they can have a discrete sales event instead of a recurring membership.
GREAT question Ashley! Have you read mine and Russell’s articles on growth? I’ll curate into this post! ✨
Thank you so much 🙏 I’m currently in a deep dive to find out more so appreciate your resources!
Ashley - Yes brilliant spend time in research because what’s true elsewhere isn’t true here.
Keep your blinkers on and don’t take in too much other “newsletter noise” until you’ve carved out your space... there IS space for us all.
There’s also a Substack game to play if you want to grow... two of my top tips - use Recomendations whole heartedly and show up in Substack’s open office hours!
Set yourself a quiet goal re subs / open rates/ views and observe the steps it takes to get there.
Paid conversions are between 2-10% usually so you have to weigh up what you’re offering while you grow your subscriber base so that it fits for you.
Absolutely! I feel like I’ve found my space and I feel good about my voice on this platform... but love the idea of quiet goal setting ✨
For me, it’s less about the paid percentage, but more about the subscriber growth in general. I want to talk to more people so that’s my current focus.
Thank you 🙏
Perfect! Totally possible and actually brilliant to keep it more simple as “paid” can be complex to fathom out and it’s working it all in together to keep the value isn’t it. ✨🙏
Honestly Clare, I think you’re so inspiring! It’s been great to watch this space grow as you’ve generously shared your knowledge. Thank you and congrats! 😊
This is a similar question to some, but my ‘concern’ is having two slightly different but complementary objectives on my Substack. Sharing my work and journey as an artist alongside my love of facilitating creative workshops and sharing my creative exercises here as well. Is it OK to share in one place? Confusing maybe? Do too many objective mean they become watered down and lack impact?
You are likely going to be selling your workshops to the people you who have come along on your artist journey, so it's appropriate to share both in one substack. One of them is a continuous membership also, and the other is a discrete sales event, and continuity is a big part of any successful business. Sales events and memberships have to live together because you need both.
You are SO sweet!! Thanks Georgie! Loved discovering your insta this week!
Picking this q up for the pod but also please go read Laura Oldfield’s latest piece which was born after the conversations we’ve had for YEARS about this same topic! ✨🙏
I've only read the title and I'm already nodding in recognition! Thanks Claire - off to read in full :)
Fantastic achievement Claire and very well deserved!! 🥰💜💫
Aw thanks so much Lyndsay!! How’s the view?
The view is pretty good right now thank you! Last few days in Spain before we head over to Morocco next week!
Oh Morocco has a place in my heart - the call to prayer each day is the most beautiful invite to reset! ✨🙏
Yes completely! Where have you been in Morocco?
I wish I could remember... I will look out my travel diary!!
Ooh exciting and great idea! I can't wait to read through these 🎉 Thanks Claire and Russell. I will have a think and come back with a question 😊
I think if I had to ask a question it would be about paid v free. I really struggle with putting things behind the paywall, with knowing what juicy thing to offer that's enticing enough for people to pay. I know, it's really different for everyone and different things work! I am experimenting with it these days but I'm getting loads of new free subscribers but I keep delaying doing anything to increase paid subscriptions 😂
I don’t think you even have to put additional things behind a paywall. I have it set up where after a certain time everything goes behind a paywall; and I have additional books and resources that I built out over months through sections to give even more value. I provide three emails a week and all of them are free for three weeks and then go behind the paywall.
I also have 16 novels and 3 nonfiction books behind the paywall but I don’t feel the need to update it monthly.
Let’s be fair here. We’re usually talking about $5/mo. How much do you really have to do to provide $5 in value? Honestly...not much.
I also provide a course bundle worth $50 to all members even if they just have a trial membership. So, all of that allows me to say my subscription is way worth $50/yr bc you get that much value the minute you sign up.
What i think is super helpful to do is to list everything you've put there over 3 months and reflect on how it's all felt... I aim for one article a month on creatively conscious and a gift... sometimes that's a video, sometimes a preview podcast... people don't have time for lot's of content and I'm always questioning - what's in it for them? Does that make sense? Cx
I so agree and I think thats where I really struggle with it, what's in it for them. I think it's so much easier for certain Substacks that are say offering a recipe behind a paywall, or writing classes, or whatever, but something much more tangible and specific. I keep hoping to find what that would be for me/for what I'd like to offer that's clearer.
You will... I love Farrah's analogy of Substack being like a stage and the paywall area being like back stage... if you do some visual journalling on your version of this I bet it emerges?
What's the best size photo for your newsletter thumbnail. Sometimes mine come out off centre.
Can you screen shot??
You can edit this! When you go to send your post, beforehand click on settings on the bottom. You’ll see a lil preview window (among other things) with your post title & image. Click on the image and you can edit what image to use & move it to be better centered.
Ya thanks Irina - I couldn’t visualise it!!
Ahh, ok. Thanks so much
I also find if you choose a photo with a lot of give it works better. Negative space is your friend b/c they have several competing sizes.
I've honestly never had issues - this was insightful.
Do you have tips for making my specifically sales-y emails less gross-feeling for my readers? I have emails scheduled for Black Friday sales, and I don’t want them to feel excessively different from my regular posts, even though they’re directly pointed at a sale that’s happening that week. Thanks!
Hey Esmé - this is a tough area for me too!
I know Russell will have thoughts; we’ll save for our podcast!
I sent a post yesterday that was awareness building for my group programme that was a blend of information sharing and call to action over on Creatively Conscious; https://creativelyconscious.substack.com/p/your-self-seeded-business ✨🌱
I’ll look forward to the podcast and have another look at that email! Thank you!
Have you read this guide? It's 50,000 words I wrote about every phase of the Substack journey. https://authorstack.substack.com/p/substackgrowth
I also wrote a book called How to Build Your Creative Career without selling your soul which is available for free to paid members. https://authorstack.substack.com/s/how-to-build-your-creative-career
I also wrote an article this week about building a direct sales environment which goes into a lot about the sales funnel. https://authorstack.substack.com/p/setting-up-your-direct-sales-environment
Frankly, though, I don't do sales posts. I send sales emails from my dashboard, but they do not show up in my feed, and they are for discrete events. Most of my sales happen off substack on my other newsletters.
I've sent a couple from the dashboard but feel very new to utilising that space... I am used to sending them from mailchimp powered by my course platform so tend to stick with that although I'm always up for an experiment and yesterday's Substack post drove 27 sign ups to a free workshop so lot's of ways to work within the platform and your bigger eco system...
There’s part of a “sales” email that is really just about clear comms and that should feel joyful as you’re excited about what you’re selling?
Yep! I love that vibe & forget it sometimes. I always think I’m imposing!
Hi Claire, my idiot question is how to get the font to black? I seem to be stuck on white and try as I might, I cannot work out how to change it! Thanks in advance...
Hmm 🧐 your publication font? Will be in branding in your settings… did you choose a dark background?
Originally. I want to change to a light one, but the font stayed white, and I cannot see how to change the colour, only the type.
Hmm I honestly haven’t seen this before I wonder if it’s your accent colour?
I've changed the colours around but text is still white - which isn't ideal on a pale background...
Hmm this is what chat bot says - maybe tag me in a note and I'll tag some other folks? 1. Log in to your Substack account.
2. Go to your publication's Settings page.
3. Click on "Customize" next to Site Design under the Basics section.
4. In the Branding section, you should see options to change the font color along with other design elements.
Duly tagged, and with a screenshot, too. No font colour option… Thank you for your time with this! x
I shall investigate tomorrow and report back...
I'm relatively new so my reach isn't very far. I have a workshop this Saturday and I'd like to get the word out. When (if ever) is it OK to tag other Substackers with bigger followings so that my notes get seen by more people? I haven't been doing that because I don't want to bother them. However, I think that my notes are just vanishing in the wind without someone else's (bigger) reach.
If this is part of the growing process, that's fine with me and I can be patient. But if it's more skillful to be tagging people so that I can reach more people, I'll do that. I'm just wondering about the etiquette.
I think the answer to that is never, unless they are a part of the presentation or if you are specifically referencing them in your talk. That is why I started a roundup early in my Substack so that I could promote other people and have a reason to tag them while still making a connection with them and doing their work. I really hate when people tag me on things that have nothing to do with me, but maybe I am in the minority.
Thank you, Russell. That was my instinct but I wanted to make sure.
Plus, I think I had some confusion about whether tagging was like sending a message to someone or if it was like posting in their feed. Either way, I won't do it. :)
Julia, I guess it’s about feeling your way with gentle conversation without expectation. Notes that gain traction gather momentum in conversation. I’ve seen lots of folks with “big” followings not have much response to their notes... it’s really like going into a party and your conversation being so good that it then becomes a small circle, then a bigger one, then a whole dance... does that make sense?
What you could do is tag people who you consider to be colleagues in conversation about your work... linking to your post. ✨🙏
Thank you, Claire. I completely agree... AND your metaphor is why I feel so awkward. When I go to a party, I'm really clumsy about talking with new people. I'm an introvert so when I go to a party where I don't know anyone, my happy place is standing quietly by the chips and dip!!
Like you suggested, I'll work on my conversation skills. Also, I plan to reach out to people who might be colleagues. (Sometimes I wish there was a private DM function because it's easiest to reach out privately.) I'll be strong (haha) and just keep reaching out until I find my peeps.
Thank you!
This is another reason I like the roundup format. The best way to break the ice at a part of to find somebody you know AB’s to introduce them to somebody they might know. Everyone wins.
It’s really so very generous Russell! And a lot of dedicated hours of reading! I remember when you first mentioned me I ran to tell my husband! ✨
That's amazing. I am in constant awe of how many amazing articles there are. I feel like I need to do a daily just to keep up these days.
Right?!
You could also network in the linked in group I set up? I’m the same at parties - I often go into the garden because you soon find someone else who wants to do that too. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12855311
Wow, Claire. Thank you. I'll check it out this weekend.
And I agree, the garden is a great place to meet other people trying to escape the party!
✨✨🌱 🌳 in the Alice in Wonderland in me!
Such a great idea! My question is do you think its better to launch your Substack (i.e. put it public) once there are a good few posts live or is it ok/best to start it with just one or 2 and grow out loud?
I think that you should have 5-10 good posts. Statistically, 90% of substacks don’t ever get to 10 posts, so if you have 10, then you are ahead of 90% of substacks
Interesting stats there Russell! So folks start and then just give up?
With almost everything, almost everyone gives up.
Thank-you for your reply. That's an interesting stat! I have 5-10 posts ready to go so already feeling like I'm winning now 😂
Hey Nicola!! Have you imported a mailing list or shared the link yet?
Hi Claire, no I haven’t done either yet.
So there’s this beautiful quiet time right at the beginning where we can set out our stall, understand how we want to be here and watch what happens... I really loved doing it that way... so I didn’t have expectation on what might happen and then when things started happening I made a plan. It’s one option! If the first few posts link in any way then you have a collection to “launch” with... and you can tell your people? If you just post here and you don’t have any/ many subs it will only appear on your Substack website and in the app and not be emailed out. If you’re keen for eyes on it straight away I’d have a different answer... ✨☕️✨
Thank-you for such a thoughtful response. I think I want to enjoy 'this beautiful quiet time' and its in-line with the season I'm in with life. I'm actually going to populate my SS with some of old newsletter content with slight updates and revamps. I'm even enjoying reading and updating the old stuff myself. It will feel good to launch with my stall set out. I've been a paid member here for all of 30 mins and already know it was a great decision. Thank-you Claire. x
Aww that’s so beautiful of you to say. Yes let’s stay connected and we can see what you need as you feel ready. There’s so much potential for joyful growth! ✨❄️
I definitely will! x
This might be too niche, but can you share some advice on rising subscribers, open rates, and ‘likes’?
For example, my subscribers go up, my open rate goes down. But on top of this my likes have gone down? Wtf is happening? I don’t see any difference in my content personally hah.
One of the shifts I've made recently is to look at post stats. I had one with over 2k views and the open rate was like 37% - when I see them all in a line it helps me to know what type of work is landing and pushing my work out further here as I think for lots of folks off the app it's often ' just another email' they might get round to - does that help? Do you know where to look for those stats? Cx
One thing I will also say is that I'm pretty sure "open rate" is for subscribers only, so you might have something with a lot of views and a lower open rate because fewer subscribers are opening. I'm also not sure if open rate is only for emails or for posts as well. I will say that when I figured that out it solved a big question of why things with similar opens had drastically different open rates.
So, I went and looked at your publication. I think it's still getting good engagement for where it is. One thing climate based publications get is that people burnout pretty quickly. I love me a good climate newsletter, but it's possible people are just burned out on being bummed out all the time, and that is what's causing them to disengage. I'm not saying you should change your publication, but I know it's a common problem for this time of publication.
I agree with this 100%...
This will almost always happen when you scale. The hardest thing is keeping open rates high while growing your newsletter. Most readers also don’t want to engage or like posts. They just want to read and then go away until the next thing. The people who come first are the most diehard usually, but future subscribers are usually act more like the rest of the market.
Hi Claire, I have a technical question and I don't know where to post it. IF this isn't the right place, can you point me in the right direction? Here is my question:
"I have not turned on paid subscribers so all my subscribers are free. I'm offering a workshop for subscribers only. How do I make sure the Zoom link is ONLY available to subscribers? I sent an email to subscribers but is there a way to have a more permanent link posted?"
My apologies but I'm just figuring out my way around here. Substack doesn't seem to have robust tech support so I don't know where to go with this. Thank you very much.
I think you’ve got it Julia! Technically Substack is a website so others could see the link but I don’t think there’s much risk there? The other thing you could do is NOT post the link only email it?
Thank you. I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. :)